


Crimson Tide (Umi’s Revenge)

by Nekuro_chan



Series: Crimson Tide [1]
Category: Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Action, Crimes & Criminals, Drama & Romance, F/F, Future Fic, Gay Sex, Mild Gore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 05:48:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28755399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nekuro_chan/pseuds/Nekuro_chan
Summary: “Why did this happen to me?!” Umi’s parents are one day murdered and no one seems to know why, until she finds that her parents belong to an ancient organization meant to fight evil and protect the weak in Japan... however, an evil group is rising and taking control of the entire country. While Umi seeks revenge for her parents she will also become a vigilante, an overseer of Tokyo’s streets, but everything comes with a price. To reach her objective she’ll have to sacrifice what and who she loves the most, and she will learn that there are always consequences.Watch all the Otonokizaka idols reunite years later to end with the evil within the country and be witness of the tragedies that made some of this girls turn against everyone. In the end, good must win, but the question is, at what cost?
Relationships: Ayase Eli/Toujou Nozomi, Hoshizora Rin/Koizumi Hanayo, Kira Tsubasa/Kousaka Honoka, Kousaka Honoka/Sonoda Umi, Minami Kotori/Sonoda Umi, Nishikino Maki/Yazawa Nico
Series: Crimson Tide [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2119599
Kudos: 6





	1. Watashitachi Wa Mirai no Hana

**Author's Note:**

> This story contains gore, sexual relationships and the death of many characters, along with sensible subjects such as mental diseases. If any of this is uncomfortable for the reader, please avoid reading and share with the corresponding discretion. Sometimes you will see 3 astheriscs together, this means a division within the chapter, one part ends and other begins. Please be awarded of this in order to make your reading smoothlier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Umi just lost her parents and she realizes her family holds a lot of secrets, but she is about to discover one of them.

Droplets fell like tiny arrows from the gray afternoon sky, tears fell quietly like cherry blossoms, a silent stream from her eyes, down to her chin, then hitting the ground and disappearing forever. Out there, in the cold, she stood alone, despite of being surrounded; out there, in the pain, she stood defeated, unable to climb back up.  
As she held the flowers tightly, a worried hand touched her shoulder, it was her caring friend of years, Nozomi, though her look was now quite different from before, all of theirs were. Ever since the last live, three years ago, they hadn ́t had a chance for reuniting and, despite of that, the situation wasn ́t worthy of an all friendly-smiley-lovely moment, nobody knew exactly what to say, words are like swords after all, you may cut the other person without even realizing. Out of all the girls, Nozomi was still the most mature, which is why she decided to talk first. She sighed.  
―Umi-chan...  
She didn’t answer, but only stared into oblivion, indifferent from all stimuli. Gazing down, Nozomi got closer and surrounded Umi with her arms.  
―It is so unfair ―she murmured, clenching her teeth ―. IT IS JUST SO UNFAIR! WHY? WHY DID THIS HAD TO HAPPEN!  
The girl got away of Nozomi and fell to her knees right in front of the two tombs. “Sonoda Kyousuke. A daily life samurai”. “Sonoda Satou. A loyal and pure woman”. ―Umi...

But she couldn ́t stop crying. As Honoka tried to approach her, Eli stopped her and shook her face. Even though lots of times in the past, the nine girls had been able to comfort each other with kind words and hugs, there was nothing any of them could do now, no hug would relieve Umi from her bursting pain, the only thing left to do was leaving her alone to deal with the suffering. A few minutes later, soaked in the rain, her hands and knees full of mud, she smashed her head against the ground and grabbed the mud with her hands. As the water ran down her hair and entered her eyes, as her hands were getting dirtier and the flowers started falling apart, she felt an indescribable rage flooding her stomach and going all the way up to her throat, she then stared at her parents ́ tombs and spoke with decision:  
―I ́ll find who did this and I ́ll bring back the honor they took from us. I promise.  
Who was responsible of their murders or what the reason was for that person realizing such a crime was still a mystery for everyone, for the crime look like rather a vengeance affair than anything else, but very few was known about the lives of the Sonoda and now even Umi was starting to realize she didn ́t know anything about her parents. A lot of secrets were hidden in the family and she didn ́t have anyone else that could help her, she was alone in this quest.  
Umi wanted to avoid her house as much as possible, so she decided to sleep in the family dojo, but aloofness didn ́t left her, no matter where she went. It smelled like wood and humidity, like memories and conviction. She took a bokken from near the wall and then knelt in the center of the wooden floor, with the wooden sword next to her right knee. She closed her eyes and breathed. She breathed again. And again. Then she took the sword, got up and made a firm movement, faster than the fluttering of a hummingbird, a side to side cut, then

up her head, and down from midday to twilight, a turn around and then back on guard, with her feet ready to take off.  
―ME! DO! KOTE! ME! DO! KOTE! ME! DO! KOTE! ―she yelled furious, doing each movement respective to the sound, “me” when going for the head, “do” when going for the liver and “kote” when going for the wrist; when reaching the wall, she turned around and, stomping the floor, launched herself to the other side with a violent thrust ―TSUKI!  
Then she breathed again, went back to the center and knelt, leaving the sword next to her right knee. This time she tried to do the same thing, but with her eyes closed. Grabbing the bokken with her left hand she started moving around.  
―ME! DO! KOTE! ME! DO! KOTE! ME! DO...  
But her coordination wasn ́t that good while closing her eyes, and she had got away from her path, which made her accidentally break a pot when going for the liver strike.  
―Shit! No, I shouldn ́t say that it ́s indecent... damn it! Please don’t get angry, father ―she begged while kneeling and picking up the pieces of the pot.  
However, something caught her attention while picking them up, for each piece seemed to be exact same shape and size as the rest and the inside with what looked like parts of a bigger image, as if though each little piece of the broken pot was actually a piece of a puzzle and that this pot was meant to be broken. Confused, Umi started trying to join the pieces, which resulted being harder than she expected, since there was no guide for her to assemble the puzzle, so she just let her instincts drive her into the right solution. After a few hours, she was finally able to assemble it the right way and, while sighing, she took a good look at the image.

―It ́s... a circle... a flower circle. Flower circle... what does it mean? ―she asked to herself, scratching her head in confusion ― If I split it, kanjis are “hana” and “maru”. Hana... maru... flower circle. What are you trying to tell me, father?  
Taking deep breaths, she was trying to see the bigger image, when suddenly, in a wind rush, the door opened and small dried flower entered flying, as if possessed by the air stream, it wouldn ́t fall down, but just stay there, moving around.  
―Father?  
The flower moved to the other room of the dojo and Umi followed it. In the end, it landed over a sword. The girl smiled trying to hold her tears.  
―Father! It ́s you!  
The sword was her father ́s, she took it as respectfully as she could and she carefully unsheathed it. Then, she noticed a small yet artistical inscription in the blade:  
“To fight injustice and perversion, the flower circle commits its existence. Let this sword be thirsty not for blood, but for eternal peace”.  
Perplexed, Umi wasn ́t able to move a muscle, not even breath, who were the flower circle? Why was her dad a part of such group? Did it have something to do with his death? Of such thing she had never heard a word spoken in the family, but then, near the sword, she also found a small box, keeping a letter inside, which she unfolded and read.  
“Umi, my daughter, my flower, my pride. I hope you never need to read this letter because if you do, that means you are about to get in a path I had tried to keep you away from all my life. You probably have many questions, but all of them will be answered in time. For now,

what you must know is that I used to be a member of a secret organization known as “The Flower Circle”, an ancestral group of samurais who sworn to protect our country from the greed of the wicked and to always restore the balance when darkness lingered. But times are different now, the fearful have no honor and the cowards follow no rule, the evilness disguises itself as the biggest virtue and most importantly, people no longer have faith, faith in the ideal that things can be different, and thus, The Flower Circle is dying and with it, hope vanishes. As much as I would like you to stay away from this, I am not indifferent from the fact that all members of the Sonoda family had been loyal to The Flower Circle for centuries, it is in my blood, as it is in your mother ́s and also in yours. The path of the warrior is one of perpetual torment, which is why I, from my loving, recommend you to stay away from all of this. However, if for any reason you choose to make this sword your own, for it is yours by birth right, I will follow you everywhere you go, all that you need to find what you ́re looking for lies in this blade, but remember the inscription, do not look for blood, but for eternal peace. Strike by not moving, kill by letting live, talk by being quiet, fulfill by emptying yourself. Such is the way of a Flower Circle warrior; such is the way to realization. Good luck, I love you. Always remember: Anata wa mirai no hana.  
―Your father.”  
―Soshite... watashitachi wa meguriau ―she murmured, while letting her tears soak the paper ―. Akai, akai mirai no hana ―saving the letter back in the box she took the sword again ―. Soshite watashitachi no meguriau... fu-ta-ta-bi a-e-ta... to-i-ba ―and while giving a last look at the inscription, her lips and arms shivering, she sheathed it again ― kawaru hazu deshou...

She then wiped her tears off and head back to the tatami where she knelt again in the center and took deep breathes. When ready to begin, her left hand grabbed the sword ́s grip and, moving quickly as the fluttering of a hummingbird, she sliced her last tear before it hit the ground. She would no longer be the one crying, there was a job to be done, and if Umi was good at one thing, it was at finishing what was started. She would end it all. She would end them all.


	2. Datte Datte Aa Mujou

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After losing her parents and finding out the secret about her family and The Flower Circle, Umi decides to take matters into her own hands. But first, there is someone she has to visit.

**2.** **Datte Datte Aa Mujou**

  
It had been a while since Umi practiced the art of archery or kendo, not since she left Otonokizaka two years ago. Before her parents left, other things were keeping her busy, especially college; however, with things the way they were, academical education would have to wait, but that wasn ́t a problem at all, what actually worried her, or in better words, who actually worried her, was Honoka, she couldn ́t involve her in all this mess, it was for her to solve alone even if that meant she had to stop visiting her for a while. The last time they saw each other was in Honoka ́s house, some weeks after Umi ́s lost. Mr. Kousaka was baking some delicious cookies for them, while they talked in the bedroom.  
―I ́m sorry... Umi-chan ―said Honoka, crestfallen ―, I didn ́t know what to... ―It ́s ok ―she answered, holding her hand with a soft smile ―, it ́s ok.  
―Why am I always so stupid? You should be the one sad and crying and I should be comforting you, but instead of that.  
Umi chuckled at Honoka ́s question.  
―What ́s so funny ―asked the orange hair girl, with watered eyes. ―It ́s just you say very stupid stuff.  
―Don ́t mock at me! ―she yelled, hitting Umi ́s chest.  
―And what if I do? You ́re such a dummie.  
―Ah, yes?

Honoka took Umi by her shoulders and threw to the bed, facing her closely, while the timid girl could do nothing but blush.  
―Who ́s a dummie now?  
But Umi wouldn ́t let her win, so she held the girl ́s cheeks tightly and gave her a sweet long kiss.  
―I guess it ́s still you.  
Honoka sighed and laid down, caressing Umi ́s forehead while smiling. ―You can always count with me, you know? For anything.  
But Umi knew she couldn ́t share that secret with her beloved, no matter how much she wanted to keep her by her side. Gazing down, she felt regret for having come to visit her in the first place.  
―I...  
―Delicious red bean sweets! ―announced Honoka ́s mother, joyful, holding a tray full of sweets.  
―Oh, c ́mon! Red beans? Yuk!  
―Honoka! Behave yourself ―scolded her, Umi.  
―Just kidding, honey, it ́s not red bean, I made the ones you both love.  
―Yay! ―said Honoka while impatiently grabbing one of them and bringing it to her mouth ― Delicious!

―Well, I will leave you to do... your things ―stated the mother with a suggestive smile that left both girls embarrassed, then she closed the door.  
Honoka grabbed another sweet and held it next to Umi ́s lips.  
―Open wide.  
She grinned and opened her mouth, where Honoka placed the candy, her eyes lost in Umi ́s.  
Umi still couldn ́t relax, she kept feeling a chill down her spine, and the closer she got to Honoka the colder it felt, but something in the desk caught her attention, it seemed like a scrapbook. Honoka noticed that Umi was looking at it and got up to show her.  
―What is that?  
―This? Just memories I like to revisit sometimes.  
―Oh, let me see.  
They both sat on the bed ́s edge and Honoka opened the scrapbook.  
―Look! That ́s you, Kotori and me. What were we? Like eight?  
―Haha, yeah, look at your face, you were so shy just with the idea of taking a picture. ―Th-that ́s not true! It was probably hot.  
―Yeah sure. Oh, here it ́s me giving a speech at elementary.  
―Yeah, that went well ―said Umi, sarcastically.  
―Hey! Ok yeah, it was awful.  
They both laughed and kept looking at the pictures.

―Wait, is that...?  
―Our first live ―said Honoka, smiling ―. Remember you tried to cover your legs with those pants?  
―Please don ́t.  
―You are one of a kind darling. Oh, and here is our Korekara no Someday presentation! Those outfits were so cute.  
―Our first song with Nico, she is one of a kind. You know anything about her? I haven ́t seen her since the funeral and well... I didn ́t talk with anybody there.  
―I heard she ́s incredibly famous on Twitch, she has both old and new fans, and as far as I know she ́s dating Maki, but she ́s been absent too.  
―Maki... Such a sweet girl. Well, sometimes.  
They chuckled happily.  
―Wow, so many photos.  
―Yeah, I miss those times. I feel like everything was just easier, you know? At least I still got you, my sweet shy bunny.  
―Yeah... ―she couldn ́t help but feeling sad by letting that out of her mouth. ―What ́s with the sad face? ―asked Honoka, worried.  
―Nothing, I just didn ́t sleep well, I...  
Without anything left to say, Umi held Honoka ́s hands tightly and kissed her as passionately as she could, as if there was no tomorrow, as if her whole being and loving was dripping out of her wet lips, as if the Umi she had been for nineteen years faded away in that last love expression and the last bit of innocence inside of her just died. When she couldn ́t hold it any longer, she burst into tears and left running as fast as she could.  
―Umi-chan! Wait!  
But it was too late to catch her up, she looked up all over the street, she was gone. Confused and filled with tears, she was heading back home when she got a call from an unknown number.  
―Hello? Sorry, who is this? Nishi... MAKI-CHAN?! *** Tears were for the weak, love couldn ́t help her now, as much as she cared for Honoka, if she wanted to complete her quest, she had to be able to give up everything, even her.  
And so, within the shadows and the dying light she prepared herself, grabbed the sword and dressed in what could be described like a discrete outfit. If there was somewhere where she could find answers, that was the streets. Lots of things happened in the district every day, and when regular people went to sleep, criminals were just awakening. If it were a mob what she was dealing with, she would find them in the darkness.  
Like a shadow or a ghost, she moved between the alleys, looking for clues, but she couldn ́t help shivering, since it was her first time going incognito in such a dangerous place.  
“Perhaps this is not a good idea” said a part of herself, but another one answered: “just shut up and keep looking, there ́s no backout now”.  
Suddenly, she heard a desperate scream not far away.

―Get away from me! No! Stop!  
Worried by this, Umi head quickly to the source of the screaming, where she found a young girl cornered by a fat ugly grown man.  
―C ́mon, darling, it won ́t be long, just let me see what you have here... ―No! ―she yelled and slapped him.  
―Oh, now you ́re dead, honey ―said the man, taking a knife out of his pocket. ―Stop!  
Umi was a few feet away, holding the sword, nervously, and the man did nothing but laugh.  
―Well, well, well... we have a cute lil ́ heroine here. If you want so I can also give you some of... this.  
―Put the knife down.  
―Or what? You ́re gonna cut me in half? Don ́t make me laugh. Whatever, it seems like you ́ll taste way sweeter than this girl here. It ́s your lucky day slut, I ́m gonna have fun with this princess tonight.  
The other girl ran away, filled with fear. ―I said you put the knife down!  
―Oh, yeah sure, sure, I ́ll drop the knife.  
The man was about to drop it, but instead he threw it with incredible strength aiming for Umi. The next thing she felt was cold and then a sting, then she saw the knife sticked in her shoulder and the blood stain spreading wider and wider over her black clothes. With no time to respond, the man took the sword away from her and threw her to the wall where he then grabbed her by the hair and crushed her face into the ground. When stomping her back, the knife got deeper into her and she started screaming in pain.  
―Not so tough now, are you, princess? Tell me, are you familiar with the expression “backfire”? Well, not like you ́re gonna be familiar with anything after this ―he said this with eyes filled with lust and a malefic laughter ―, you should have known better but to pretend to be a heroine. Now, I will show you what you really are.  
Heading back for the sword, the man turned his back and Umi used this time to put in action a very risky plan with very few success probabilities. With the time and strength she had left, she pushed the knife in her shoulder until it had come the other way across and then she waited. When she felt him close enough, she executed the plan.  
―By the way ―she said, getting on her knees ―I do am familiar with the expression of backfire ―. And then she threw herself backwards and move her shoulder with the knife sticking out, slicing down the man ́s throat ―. It ́s what you ́re getting now, asshole.  
Covering his throat with his bloody hands, the guy stared at what was probably the scariest image he had ever seen, a girl with fearless eyes, unbreakable, her face filled with anger and decision, a being who was just too angry to die, perhaps the face of the devil itself. He couldn ́t beg for mercy, he couldn ́t run away, he could just stare hopeless at the last person he would ever see.  
―You asked me before if I was going to cut you in half ―said Umi, grabbing the sword with both hands and holding it over her head.

And with a minimum effort, she cut from his head way down to his crotch, slicing bones as if they were paper, cutting through meat like it was nothing, literally cutting him in half, filling the girl ́s face and body with blood both hers and the man ́s ―. Does that answer your question?  
None of her wounds were severe, her shoulder would take a while to recover but overall she was ok. She went back to the dojo and took a shower after healing herself. While the blood from all her body was running like a stream down her legs, she felt that moment again, she felt the fear, the adrenaline, and then she remembered the young girl, she realized that her actions had helped her to live a longer life, that she was her savior. This was a feeling she never had before, it was frightening, but she also liked it; and so she realized that her father was right, the blood of a warrior ran through her veins, this was something she had to do, perhaps she was the only one who could do it now that they were gone. Afterall, this wasn ́t just about herself, this was about all death parents, all scared children, all despaired women... it was the eternal fight of good against evil, and if good had to spill blood to get rid of evil, so be it, she would spill enough criminal blood to create a tide... a crimson tide.


	3. Yume no Tobira

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin is trying to achieve her dreams by training to go to the Olympics and represent her country in the one hundred meters sprint. Meanwhile, Eli has to go back to Japan to find a missing agent and uncover the identity of "The Crimson Tide", some sort of Japanese vigilante, but something about the whole job doesn´t feel right. Nozomi is worried about Umi and calls her friend for help, perhaps they are the only ones who can find her before something bad happens.

The coach was holding a chronometer in front of her, one of the old ones, she looked at it while holding a gun in her other hand.  
―Ok, ready… set… go!  
As soon as the gunshot was heard, the five girls ran as fast as they could, doing a one hundred meters length sprint, dirt and dust forming like a storm from their steps. In a matter of seconds, they had reached the finish line.  
―Ok, that´s… thirteen seconds for Sarah; twelve and twenty-five for Lisa; twelve and thirteen for Alice; eleven and ten for Rin; and eleven and eight for Yumiko. Rin, what´s wrong, you seem tired.  
―Ah ―she sighed, exhausted ―, sorry… coach… I… I think I got a ―and then she sneezed― cold!  
―Aight, go take five, Hoshizora. Listen, the rest of you ―she said, with authority ―, Yumiko, your time is good, but it could be better, you won to Rin this time but remember, only one of you can be sent to the Olympics, give it your best.  
―Yes, madame!  
―Now, you three, what is wrong with you? Are you even trying?  
The other three girls gazed down, shily.  
―I swear I´m… giving it my best ―one of them said.  
―Yeah? Well, it´s not enough, if you don´t improve those times by next week, you´re out of the team, got it?  
The girls nodded.  
―Go get Rin and let´s do it again.  
When Rin was in third grade of high school, he realized that, if there was something she could do very well, that was running. Overall she wasn´t much smart, and she also couldn´t depend on Kayo-chin anymore, no, she had to do something for herself, so she applied for a sports´ scholarship and now she was part of the representative team.  
But more important, if she was able to be the fastest, she would go right to the Olympics, and her dream would finally be achieved. So she trained every day, every night too, she was fast, but she could be faster, Yumiko wasn´t going to beat her, especially because Rin had a secret: whenever she wanted to go as fast as she was able to, she just had to feel Kayo-chin´s hand pushing her forward, like that time when she could finally be herself, she imagined that hand, giving her the strength to do her best.  
―Is this…? Rin, are you ok?  
―Yeah… ―she answered with the air she had left, falling to the ground with a tired smile ―why?  
―Because you just did ten seconds.  
―Ten seconds and what? ―asked Yumiko.  
―Just… ten seconds  
―What?! No way! Nya ―said Rin, skeptical, still in the ground.  
All the girls gathered around the coach, except Rin, who was still too tired to get up.  
―Rin, with this you could break the world record! You could be even faster than the fastest man in earth ―said Lisa, impressed.  
―Really? I don´t know, maybe I could go a little bit faster.  
―You kidding? Do half the effort of what you did now and you get the gold medal, bitch!  
Yumiko lend her hand to Rin and she got up.  
―Ok, ok, calm down girls, that´s all for today, go get some rest. No, eh, you Rin, wait.  
Once all girls were gone, the coach approached Rin with a smile.  
―Please don´t hit me nya…  
―What? No! I mean… you´re in.  
―I´m in?!  
―You´re in!  
―I´m in!  
―Yeah!  
―Woohoo!  
―That´s it!  
―Wait, I´m in what?  
Coach sighed.  
―The Olympics, Rin, you´ll be representing us at the one hundred meters sprint.  
―Wha- really?!  
―Really!  
―Nya…  
Rin passed out from the emotion, and coach had no other choice but to carry her to the bench. When the girl opened her eyers, she found Yumiko and the other girls in front.  
―Yo, we thought you might want to go party with us, what do you say.  
―Party nya? Sure! Let´s partyyyyyy! What´s it gonna be? Karaoke?  
―Nah, I was thinking more of uhm… night club?  
Rin had no idea what a night club was, so she just did the face she used to do when she had no idea of what something was.  
―Just come with us! ―said Yumiko, laughing.  
―Ok, let´s go night clubbing!  
The place was flooded with electro music, flashing lights, confusion and alcohol, the girls made their way through the crowd, until they found a place in the dance floor.  
―What are you drinking, Rin? ―asked Alice.  
―Uhm… orange juice?  
All the girls laughed.  
―Silly you, no seriously, what will you drink?  
―I…  
―You know what? I´ll just get you some vodka, wait here.  
The atmosphere made her somewhat uncomfortable, she didn´t like the noise being to loud, and she didn´t know how to dance to that music, so she just tried some steps from high school, old idol choreographies.  
―Hey, look at that, she´s got the moves.  
―Where you learned to dance like that, Rin?  
―This? Uhm, I was a school idol, nya.  
―Woah, woah, wait ―said Lisa, loudly and confused ―, what´s your last name again?  
―Hoshizora.  
―No way! Hoshizora Rin?! That´s you?!  
―I don´t understand ―spoke Yumiko.  
―What? Do you live under a rock or something? You know µ's, right?  
―That was a long time ago, girls.  
―Bitch, I was such a huge fan, now I feel bad because I didn´t recognize you all this time.  
―And…! Here´s your vodka, Rin ―announced Alice, when she arrived with the drinks.  
―Yo, you know who this is, Alice?  
―It´s Rin?  
―Rin Hoshizora.  
―Rin Hoshizora…. Rin Hoshizora… Oh my god! Is it you?! You were a school idol, right? My sister loved you girls, I think her favorite was this blue haired girl…  
―Umi-chan?  
―Yeah! She even dyed her hair and pretended she had a bow.  
―Love arrow shoot!  
―Yes! Yes! We couldn´t get her to stop saying that, seriously. This is awesome! You mind if we take a pic?  
―Go ahead, nya.  
Yumiko stood away, with jealousy, she didn´t even knew what school idols were. Now Rin was not only the fastest, but she was also the most popular in the group, something had to be done about that.  
―Aight, everyone say µ's…  
― µ's!  
The girls were laughing together.  
―A toast for Rin, fastest cat in the galaxy!  
―Cat, nya? Well, I guess I´ll drink… though… I´ve never drunk before, you sure it´s a good idea.  
―Just one, c´mon, do it.  
―RIN! RIN! RIN! RIN!  
―RIN! RIN! RIN! RIN!  
Rin held the glass tightly and drank it all in a second  
―Let´s fucking go!  
―What the hell nya? This sucks!  
―Meh, you´ll get used to it. Want another one? ―asked Yumiko.  
―No, I shouldn´t… you know what? Fuck it, bring me another one.  
***  
The heeled steps echoed all over the hallway, she wore a black uniform and carried a bunch of papers, moving with perfect composure she reflected conviction and discipline. Everyone admired her, first in her class, reaching such a high rank in only three years, some saw inside her the next country´s president, but for now she still had to follow orders. She knocked at the door.  
―Come in.  
―You wanted to see me sir? ―asked the woman, closing the door.  
―Please, sit down. You will have to forgive me, but you must understand my times were different.  
―How so, sir?  
―Well we didn´t use to have women in the force, perhaps I´ve been too skeptical, it´s hard for me to believe a woman could be so good at all this but you had been perfect and I must recognize it.  
―Thank you, sir.  
―Now, since I´m so impressed, I´m going to give you more work so that you can impress me even more. Please, open the laptop.  
The woman opened the laptop right in front of her and clicked the only file showing.  
―We lost communication with one of our assets, Mr. Raskalov ―he explained, as the woman looked over the information.  
―Why was Mr. Raskalov in Japan.  
―You´re good but you´re still too young and dumb. Biggest mistake of the Americans was to think the cold war was over. It never stopped, we just laid low. Japan gives us a tactical spot to keep both China and USA on the line, but Raskalov, one of our best spies, went missing few days ago, I understand you lived there for a while, so that makes you perfect for the job.  
―How do I find him.  
―They will help you ―explained the man, lending her a file with a bunch of documents―, from now on you are Ms. Janett Price, graduated with honors from the New York Police Academy, top of your class. You had a really sad life, orphan and all, but your grandfather was from Japan and now you want to keep doing what you do best in there. Just be sure to help them and not be discovered. Oh, there´s something else, you were something like a singer there, right?  
―Something like that, yes.  
―We can´t afford the risk of people recognizing you, go with Ivanovich, he´ll take care of that. Oh, one more thing, something else has been worrying us.  
The man approached the computer and showed the woman an audio file, where a distorted voice talked.  
―To the thousand, listen carefully ―said the voice ―, your time is over, I´m coming for you, there is no scape, you get a bigger ship, I get bigger waves, you run to land, I´ll hit you with a hurricane. Japan streets will be filled with your blood, get ready for the crimson tide.  
―He calls himself “The Crimson Tide”, apparently some sort of vigilante.  
―Who are the thousand?  
―That´s what you will have to find out.  
―So it´s double trouble.  
―Contact me when you have secured the asset, if it´s still securable. Ah, one more thin Ayase.  
―Yes?  
―If you find that vigilante, make him go quiet.  
The woman nodded and left the room. When she was out of the building, she received a call.  
―Nozomi?  
―Hey, Elicchi! How´s it going?  
―Good, listen uhm… it´s not a good time, could you…  
―WAIT! I need your help.  
―What is it?  
―It´s Umi, she went missing.  
―She´s probably just busy.  
―No, this is different, she isn´t at home, she doesn´t answer her home, she hasn´t even gone to school. I´m worried, Elicchi. Are you still in Japan?  
―Eto… How about we see each other at your place in three days? Perhaps we can do something to find her.  
―Thanks darling.  
―Nozomi!  
―Tee-hee! Sorry. See you then.  
―Yeah, bye.  
After just coming back to Russia, she had to head to Japan again. On top of everything, the whole “Crimson Tide” affairs gave her an unexplainable chill; even though the voice was distorted, it sounded somewhat familiar, and now she had to deal with three things at once. She sighed, closing her eyes.  
―Harasho…


	4. Storm in Killer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who are "the thousand"? As Umi gets deeper into the rabbit hole of her parents´ murderers, she finds some disturbing secrets, now it´s time for action. During her fight, she discovers a new strange ally. Meanwhile, Nozomi is leading the search of The Crimson Tide´s hunting, as part of the Tokyo Today´s news team, but her search will lead her to find out something she didn´t want to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Prostitution and drugs. If you are sensitive to any of these subjects, please avoid reading and share with discretion.

―And we´re live in three… two… one…  
―Good evening, Tokyo! I´m Matsuda and you´re watching “Tokyo Today”. Breaking news! Criminals fear for their lives, for there is a new vigilante in town, they call him “The Crimson Tide”. Man, with that kind of names even I get scared, I hope he doesn´t come get me for that pencil I stole in elementary. Know more about this with our brand new member, Nozomi Toujou! Go ahead.  
Nozomi made sure her hair and the microphone were ok. When she got the signal, she smiled and began.  
―Thanks, Matsuda-san, as you just heard, the rumors are true, the Crimson Tide exists, we have a witness who might be actually the first person saved by this vigilante. Now, Ms. Tanaka… how old are you, sweetie?  
―Sixteen ―spoke the girl, shily.  
―Good, now could you tell us about this experience you had? ―asked Nozomi, getting the microphone closer to the girl.  
―Yes… I was going back home after a karaoke night with my friends when suddenly a man assaulted me, he wanted to… ―the girl burst into tears.  
―It´s ok, darling, it´s ok.  
―Luckily this girl came and I could run away, she fought the man, but I don´t know what happened later.  
―Excuse me, Nozomi, did she just said “girl” ―asked Matsuda, confused.  
―They want to know if you´re sure it was a she.  
―Yeah, I´m sure, I saw her with my own eyes, and heard her.  
―What was she like?  
―It was dark and I was confused. But she was like twenty or something, maybe more.  
―There you got it, folks, The Crimson Tide could be a young woman, but what are the reasons for her actions. Overall, people seem to be welcoming a lot. What do you think, Tanaka-chan?  
―I think… streets are safer now with her out there. I don´t know if it´s a good thing that she goes killing people like a ninja every night, but I´m alive because of her and I bet many more can say the same.  
―But police doesn´t quite think the same ―spoke Nozomi ―, as police chief, Matsumoto-san is trying his best to catch this vigilante and bring her to the law.  
The screen changed back to Matsuda.  
―Thank you, that was Nozomi, our brand new member in Tokyo Today´s news team, be sure to support her. And now, coming up next in sports! She´s young, she´s cute and she´s fast…  
***  
The dark silhouette was getting closer and he couldn´t run away, he could just make pressure on her leg wound and hope for the best.  
―Alright, hot shot, you have one more chance. Where´s your boss?  
The guy spitted to the girl´s face, which just made her get angrier.  
―Wrong answer.  
She stabbed the man´s ankle which made him scream in pain.  
―Fuck youuu!  
―Wanna try it again?  
―You! You are dead! You have any idea who you are dealing with?  
―No, I don´t ―she said with a sigh ―, that´s why I´m asking you to tell me where your boss is. I mean, you think I enjoy this? Hell no!  
She stabbed the guy´s other ankle.  
―Stop!  
―I can stop, just tell me where he is. Otherwise next thing I stab will be way more painful.  
―Wait, no! No! I´ll tell you! Look I don’t know much ok? They keep most of their deals hidden, all I know is that he runs some business on Shibuya.  
―What kind of business?  
―I´m not sure, but if I had to guess for what I´ve seen I´d say it´s prostitution.  
―Motherfucker…  
The man rested himself in the corner, breathing deeply and painfully.  
―So… we´re ok?  
Umi gave him a menacing look.  
―Yeah, we are ok, get up.  
She lend her hand to the man, who stood up how he could, but then she grabbed his neck and strangled him with her arm until he was dead.  
―I´m sorry ―she said, dropping his body ―, I can´t afford any risks. Thanks for the information, though.  
She knelt near the body and gave a reverence, then she stood up and disappeared in the darkness.  
During the next weeks she inspected every building and alley on Shibuya, finding clues that would lead her deeper into this mob´s rabbit hole. She didn´t knew exactly who the thousand were, but she was sure they had something to do with her parents´ deaths and she needed to know more about them. After a while, she found the main building where they were keeping their business, but things were just getting harder; there were guards all over the street, disguised, but she knew, because she was also disguised. Cameras and security wouldn´t let her get near the main door and no matter how she approached the place it seemed to be a suicide mission, but then she had an idea.  
The girls were usually taken to some specific streets, away from the building; they seemed to be working by themselves, but in the darkness, thugs were always hiding and keeping and eye on them, ready to act if some of them tried to escape. One of those nights, as it was usual to happen, a car stopped by and one of the girls approached it.  
―Hey, darling, wanna… wait, you´re not…  
―Enter the car and act normally ―said the shadow driving the car.  
The girl didn´t refuse and she entered the car, pretending it was just another client, and then they headed near an abandoned building.  
―Get undressed ―Umi ordered.  
―Oh, I see, you´re one of those. Well I can also…  
―What? No! No, no, stop, that´s indecent! ―yelled Umi, covering her eyes.  
―Then what the fuck do you want?  
―I´m changing places with you, just get undressed and then put this on ―she explained, while dropping her some clothes.  
―Now that I look at you, you do look very similar.  
―More like the other way around, that´s why I chose you. Give me your clothes.  
―Who are you? Why would you even want to change places, it is a hell in there. So many times I wished I was death, but they don´t let you die.  
―What do they do to you? ―asked Umi, changing her clothes in the car.  
―They use this drug, it makes you go into oblivion, you can´t even talk, you feel like you´re dead and then, you just want more and more. Right now, I don´t know what I´m gonna do without it.  
―Go to the hospital, then go home. Love your family, enjoy your life and let me deal with this.  
―What are you planning to do?  
―Trust me. You don´t want to know.  
Finally, Umi tied her hair with little knife.  
―You´ll be alright, I´ll make sure of that. Hey, do me a favor, would you? Get rid of the car.  
―Uhm… sure, sure, yeah… sure.  
Dressed in her new rather uncomfortable clothes that made her want to pass out, she headed back to the street where she had picked the girl. She couldn´t risk to mess this up, so she would have to play the game for a while. While she was walking, someone approached.  
―Hey, darling, how abo…  
―Get any closer and I break your arm.  
―Jeez, talk of a bitch attitude ―said the man, getting even closer.  
But Umi, as promised, grabbed his arm and used her shoulder as leverage to break it.  
―What the fuck? ―screamed the man in pain.  
―Told ya.  
―Screw you!  
―What you said ―asked Umi menacingly.  
The man got so scared he couldn´t answer, instead he ran away holding his arm and crying.  
Umi finally got to the street where she had picked the girl; then, one of the thugs came out.  
―What took you so long? ―he asked.  
―Tough client ―she said with faked voice.  
―Whatever, get in the truck, you know the drill.  
Obediently, Umi got in the truck and sat next to a dozen of girls with bags on their heads. The man approached with a syringe, then took her arm brusquely and injected her.  
―Put the bag on ―he ordered, giving her a bag like the other girl´s.  
Obediently again, Umi put the bag on, while she felt how the drug was working quickly inside of her.  
―No, I can do this, keep it together ―she said to herself, but the drug was strong, she felt like she was losing control of her mind and body ―. I just have to breath and relax.  
She closed her eyes and remembered her parents, her dad´s letter, the warrior´s way, striking by doing nothing, perhaps that was what she needed right now. Either way, it was too late to back out, now she had to give it her everything.  
Apparently, none of the girls had even the slightest idea of where they lived, since they were dragged in and out with the bag on. The idea of living in such a despairing ignorance gave Umi a chill down her spine.  
―Get down ―the man ordered, opening the van´s doors.  
All the girls walked in a line, as if they were programmed to do so, like a computer or a trained dog. They entered the building and each one of them was taken to their rooms, where they could finally take the bags off.  
Inside a dark room, filled with pain and anxiety, Umi sat down and waited. What did she wait for? Well, the right moment, of course. After two months of inspecting the business on her own, she already knew that the women didn´t go out to the streets the last weekend of each month, because that was when the boss was and town. Each time he chose a different girl, but he also had some kind of pattern and, if Umi´s calculations weren´t wrong, it would be here turn that night. If not, she would just have to improvise. Someone knocked at her door.  
―Seventy-five. The boss wants to see you.  
The time was now. When she was finally alone with the boss, she took the knife that was holding her hair and stabbed him between the ribs, while covering his mouth.  
―Listen, I take this knife of and you die. You call for help, I take it out; you attack me, I take it out; just do what I tell you and you can go to a hospital, are we clear ―she whispered at her ear.  
The boss nodded, with tears on his eyes.  
―Answer my questions ―she ordered, uncovering his mouth ―, who are the thousand?  
―Fuck you, I ain´t gonna…  
But Umi grabbed the knife again.  
―Wait! No, no. I´ll tell you. But I warn you, you´ll be dead in… wait… wait I know you. You´re Kyouske´s daughter, right? Oh my god! ―the man started laughing ―, you should have seen his face, it was hilarious.  
―Just tell me who they are! ―she said, furiously.  
―Or what, darling? You´re gonna kill me? You take that knife out and your life is gone. You know, I might die here, but after that, he will make sure you regret even being born, bitch.  
―Who is he?!  
―Oh, he? He is the man ―he explained with a smile ―. He sees everything, controls everything, he owns this country.  
―I want names, you piece of shit.  
―Oh, don´t worry, you´re too deep into this now, they will come after you, all of them. Except they won´t be unprotected like me, now, they´ll come at you with everything they got, thugs, cops, guns… and their thousand katanas. And then you´ll die just as sadly and pathetically as they did. Guards!  
Five guards broke through the door and Umi took the knife out of the boss´ chest, throwing it at one of the guards´ neck. But when they were all ready to fight, a sudden explosion brought them all to their knees.  
―What the fuck was that?!  
―I´ll go check, you take care of the girl ―said one of the guards, and he went down, but just a few seconds later he was stopped ―. Wait, who are you? You… agh!  
The other guards, frightened, turned around and saw a silhouette holding a bunch of knifes; they all threw against this new enemy, but he, without any stutter, just threw the knifes with a subtle movement and then they were all dead.  
―Come with me ―said the shadow to Umi.  
―Who are you?  
―Questions later, run now.  
Without any time to think, Umi followed her savior downstairs, where everything was on fire.  
―Did you do this? ―she asked, catching her breath.  
―The girls are ok, don´t worry about them, keep going.  
They ran out of the building and, when they were finally saved, they stopped. Still catching her breath, Umi sat down.  
―It is Sonoda Umi, right?  
―Yeah… how do you… know that?  
―Questions later, listen now. Go to Numazu during the shortest day, we will talk then. Try not to die before that.  
―Are you one of them? ―The Flower Circle, yes. Everything we´ll be answered, I´ll look after you, as I promised your father.  
Umi gazed down for a second and when she looked back up the man was gone. Confused and tired, she tried to get some rest, but that wouldn´t be possible, for something was happening just some meters away. A girl seemed to be approaching.  
―Ok, we had followed her all the way into this alley ―said a girl ―, will today be the day when we uncover the Crimson Tide´s identity? We´ll see after some commercials, if I catch her, of course. Hey, wait, there she is.  
Umi ran away desperately, but Nozomi followed her with her camera on hand.  
―Damn! She´s fast… Wait! I just wanna talk. Yeah, sure, as if that would work.  
Umi entered an apartment building and Nozomi followed her, going up the stairs.  
―Wait! Too many stairs! Come on, just give up already…  
When Nozomi finally got to the rooftop, a kick from Umi got rid of her camera.  
―Hey! You know how expensive those… wait… Umi?  
Umi couldn´t say anything, she just gazed down, with some sort of shame.  
―Is … is it you? But… why…  
―It´s complicated! ―she yelled, bursting in tears ―You wouldn´t understand.  
―Wait, no, let me help you, you have any idea of how dangerous what you´re doing is? Everyone is after you. God, you´re lucky I was the one who found… I was worried about you! Why? Why do you have to do this on your own?! Let me help you, you know I would do anything for you.  
―That´s exactly why you can´t be near me, none of you. I´m sorry but… this is something I have to do for myself ―she said, getting closer to the building´s edge.  
―Well, it´s not like you can go anywhere, just… let´s get down and… I don´t know, buy some coffee or something. Is that okay with you.  
―See you, Nozomi.  
And she jumped off the building.  
―Wait! No!  
But she had disappeared, and no trace was left. A few minutes later, her team got to the rooftop.  
―Did you get her?! ―asked one of them, breathing heavily.  
―…  
―Toujou-san!  
―Huh? What…  
―Did you see her?  
―No, I… she got away, I couldn´t see her face. I was so close!  
―Well, whatever ―said one of them, hugging her ―, let´s go to the karaoke after work, ok?  
―Yeah, sure…  
After that night, The Crimson Tide disappeared, just like the shadow she was, vanished in the darkness, and no one would hear anything from her in a very long time.


	5. Junai Lens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nozomi and Eli join forces to find who the thousand are and bring the truth out to the light, believing this will help them find Umi; an old friend joins their team and together they have the perfect plan to end this once and for all, but things get quickly out of control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There might be some mistakes ortographically speaking... I´ll make sure to correct them later.

Doubts dripped down the window… they dripped and dripped, she couldn´t stop watching them, they couldn´t stop dripping, the only thing going through her mind was why she wasn´t able to help her. If only she had come earlier, perhaps none of this would have happen, but maybe she was selfish; maybe, by believing that she was mature enough to help everyone, she blocked herself from seeing the whole truth. A part of her felt like she just lost a friend.  
―Nozomi, are you in there?... Nozomi!  
―Ah?! What…  
She was so lost in her thoughts that it took for Eli to shout for her to realize her friend had arrived.  
―Everything alright? ―asked Eli, giving a sip to her cup of coffee, as proper as usual.  
―Yeah.  
―…  
―No. No, I´m not alright.  
―I thought so, you only make that face when something is worrying you deeply, is it Umi?  
―Mhm. I saw her the other day. It was rather a brief talk, she doesn´t want to know anything about anyone. Perhaps if I had helped her more. But everything is much harder now; before, it would just take a hug and some talking, but now… I don´t know what to do. What happened to us, Elicchi?  
Eli also looked through the window, with a nostalgic sigh, watching herself, who she was now.  
―I guess we just grew up. Maybe this is her way of growing up.  
―But why like this?! She´s gonna get killed.  
Eli´s expression changed abruptly.  
―Woah, wait, what you mean get killed? What´s she doing?  
Nozomi got closer to Eli, like trying to tell her a secret.  
―You know these rumors about The Crimson Tide?  
Eli nodded.  
―It´s her.  
Suddenly, she felt a cold breeze, she had gotten all pale and couldn´t breathe, she remembered the words of her superior, the reason why she was there.  
―Elicchi, you look like you´ve seen a ghost or something.  
She quickly got back to her proper self.  
―No, no, it´s nothing just… I can´t believe it´s her. How do you know.  
―I work as a reporter, I was hunting her down, perhaps I shouldn´t have, now she won´t get anywhere near me. She disappeared, you know? Hasn´t show up in months. What if something bad happened to her?  
Eli, placed her hand on Nozomi´s shoulder and looked at her with a warm smile.  
―Hey, it´s Umi you´re talking about, she´s more capable than both of us together ―she then turned around and whispered to herself ―… I hope so, for her sake and mine.  
―I know I shouldn´t involve you in this, but you are the one who I trust the most and…  
―I´ll do it. I´ll help you find her, let´s end this together ―she said, lending her hand to her childhood friend.  
Nozomi smiled with tears in her eyes.  
―Elicchi…  
―Where should we begin?  
***  
Most likely, Honoka would know something about Umi, since she was the closest one to her, but when they came to her house to ask her, the poor girl could do nothing but burst in tears.  
―SHE DOESN´T ANSWER MY PHONE CALLS!  
―Now… now… ―said Nozomi, patting her head.  
―SHE ISN´T AT HOME! SHE DOESN´T GO TO SCHOOL! AND LAST TIME SHE JUST LEFT SO SADLY! WAAAAA  
―Honoka! I need you to focus ―ordered her Eli, strictly ―did she say anything? Anything would be of use.  
―If I knew anything, I´d tell you girls, you know that ―answered Honoka, wiping her tears off.  
The three girls stayed to eat and have a rather uncomfortable talk before they left.  
―It´s only natural for Umi to had keep all this away from Honoka, she doesn´t want to involve her ―Eli commented ―. However, I think I might have something to start with.  
―And what is that?  
―Do you know something about “the thousand”?  
―The thousand? No, why? Who are they?  
―Umi mentioned them in her audio… ―but then, Eli realized she had talk too much.  
―Wait, what audio? Did you know about this?  
She sighed and took her by the hand to some place quiet. When they were alone, she held her by the shoulders and looked at her seriously.  
―Listen, and listen carefully. I work for the Russian government.  
―What?  
―The reason I´m here it´s because one of our agents went missing, I have to find him and bring him back, but… that´s not all.  
―Oh yeah, I thought so, what else do you hide? ―asked Nozomi, with crossed arms.  
―They… want me to kill her. The Crimson Tide.  
―Eli!  
―But I´m not! I mean, I have to but… now that I know it´s Umi… I´ll just have to come up with something and…  
Before she could finish her sentence, she felt a hit to her face, and then a warm sting. Nozomi had slapped her.  
―You´re an idiot, Ayase-san.  
Nozomi walked away, clenching her fists.  
―Wait! I…  
―Stay away. I can do this on my own ―and she left running.  
―Nozomi…  
***  
There was a place where she could start looking for clues. Nozomi knew Umi from almost four years already; she was disciplined, always had a plan for everything, with her nothing happened without a reason, an ulterior purpose. And so, the reporter began by investigating the burnt building from some time ago, but very few was left. Only thing she could find was about the girls that were being held there and with some days of research, she managed to contact one of them.  
―…I asked her what she was planning to do, she said I wouldn´t want to know. It seemed as if she had everything sorted out, she picked me from everyone else.  
―For what exactly?  
―Change places, I suppose it was the only way she could get close to them, those men are nothing to be messed with.  
―Do you know who they are? Anything?  
―They didn´t let us talk with each other, but sometimes we used the toilet paper to write letters and give them to each other through the holes in the walls. One of the girls mentioned that the boss had a lot of tattoos, they were like tiny swords or something like that, but they were a lot, I don´t know, maybe a thousand?  
―The thousand… ―she murmured for herself.  
―What?  
―Ah, nothing, go on please.  
―Well, I was drugged most of the time, but I remember that none of them used guns, they always carried a katana instead, I want to think they´re some kind of cult, I heard them talk once about something called the flower circle.  
―Did they mention any names?  
―Sasuke… no, wait, Ryousuke? No, no, no… it was… Ko… Ki… Kyousuke! They mentioned Kyousuke.  
Nozomi eyes started shining, now she really had something to help her research, if Umi´s father was involved with this mob, that would´ve explained the murders, now she needed to find clues at Umi´s house or the dojo.  
―Thanks for everything ―said Nozomi, bowing ―, I will leave now.  
They said goodbye and Nozomi left. When the girl was alone again, she made herself some tea and someone knocked at the door.  
On her way to opening, she saw a sweater in the couch. It was Nozomi´s.  
―Perhaps she´s coming to get it ―she thought, grabbing it ―. Hey, you forgot your…  
But it wasn´t Nozomi.  
After the girl fell down with a bullet hole in her head, the sweater got soaked in blood and the man who entered the house took it and saved it.  
―Get the other girl, she´s not far away.  
Few seconds later, two thugs came, grabbing Nozomi by her arms.  
―We got her boss!  
―Leave me alone! Let me go! Help!  
―Shut the fuck up! ―one of them shouted, hitting her in the stomach.  
Nozomi fell to the ground, coughing.  
―I think this is yours ―said the leader, throwing the sweater at her.  
When she saw the blood, she couldn´t help start crying.  
―You think this is a game? You aren´t at your computer using the deep web, this is the real world, girl. Here…there are always consequences.  
The leader grabbed Nozomi by the hair and threw her against the wall.  
―You don´t mess with the thousand katanas. Hold her down.  
The thugs grabbed Nozomi and made her kneel, facing the floor. Meanwhile, the boss took out his katana and unsheathed it. Hearing the sound made Nozomi cry even more.  
―Keep some dignity for yourself, would you? Just take it.  
He aimed calmly for her neck, as if he had done that countless times and then lifted the katana. But when he was about to do the cut, a sound distracted him; he looked back and all his men were dead already, there was only a girl pointing at his head with a gun.  
―It takes you zero point fifty seconds to try to attack me while it takes me zero point ten seconds to pull the trigger. Besides, the tension on your muscles will give you away when you try to strike me, I just need to move a finger. What´s it gonna be, tough guy? You drop the sword and join us for a chat, or you attempt something stupid and join them in hell?  
The man breathed angrily and threw the sword away; Eli then knocked him out from one kick to the head, she got near to Nozomi and lent her a hand.  
―I had it all sorted out ―said Nozomi with a pout.  
―Oh yeah, sure, sure.  
They looked at each other and laughed until they´re stomachs started aching.  
―Oh my god, I thought that was my end. I´m so sorry, Elicchi! I love you! I´ll never leave you again, I promise ―cried Nozomi, hugging her beloved friend; when their looks crossed again, they got closer and closer until they kissed warm and passionately.  
―You seem way too calm to have shot some thugs ―Nozomi told her, with a grin.  
―Oh, you know, this is everyday stuff at my job.  
―No way!  
―Yup.  
―You´re so badass, Elicchi.  
―S-stop that! I´m not badass.  
―And sexy… ―Nozomi continued, caressing her cheeks.  
―Nozomiii! ―yelled the girl, blushing.  
―Tee-hee! But you still can´t win to me.  
They hugged each other again.  
―I will always lose to you, Nozomi. But together, we won´t lose to them.  
―No, we won´t ―affirmed Nozomi, with a big smile, not if we have each other.  
―So… let´s get started.  
Nozomi´s plan was simple, she would take care of the media and Eli would do the action stuff, since it suited her so well. Besides, it turned out to be sexy watching Eli killing bad guys on tight pants. Nozomi would use the information they gathered to write an article about this so called Thousand Katanas, perhaps the public attention would force them to do something desperate and then they could strike. After all, if they kept investigating, they would eventually find Umi.  
Hence, the plan was put in action. They visited Sonoda´s dojo and found the letter from Umi´s father, along with some other stuff that gave them a head start on their hunting. Being a detective with Eli was rather an interesting job; however, they found a big obstacle eventually, since must of the information about the thousand katanas was really well secured in some online servers. Neither Nozomi nor Eli had experience with programming and they wouldn´t be able to get what they needed by shooting everyone out, they had to think smarter. So, they needed something who was an expert in computers and could also be extremely trustworthy. Lucky for them, they knew just the right girl.  
***  
―Ladies and gentlemen! ―shouted and artificial voice.  
A DJ then popped out and started playing some wild beats.  
―…You asked for it and we brought it…  
The crowd at the place was going crazy, all of them shouting with their hands up.  
―Two legends… two titans… but today there can only be one champion. Thirty minutes to design a completely original virus and firewall. The opponents will then attack each other with their new virus nonstop. The one to get corrupted first… GOES HOME TO CRY TO THEIR MOM!  
The crowd shouted even louder.  
―But the winner… will take one hundred million yens! Tonight, the God of Underground will be decided. Make your bets, everybody and… here they are! On the left side, they say he´s a linux fan, he won´t use other operative system, but there isn´t a firewall he can´t break through, they call him… THE CODE SLAYEEEER!!  
A man came out of the crowd as if he was a gladiator about to fight, he sat down and opened his laptop, plugged the mouse and put his headphones on.  
―On the right side… she might be the cutest thing you´ve ever seen but she has no mercy… they say she hacked the pentagon using a nokia! Her hunger for coding can only be compared with her insatiable desire for eating rice! Please welcome the one and only goddess of computers… KAYO-CHIIIIIIIN!  
The girl entered while moving her glasses a bit, and the crowd went wild, they cheered for her as loud as they could. She was holding an energy drink and when she finished it she threw it to the public.  
―Get off! It´s mine!  
―Fuck you! I get to keep it!  
The guys fought for the bottle.  
―Alright, competitors… get ready… get set… and… CODE!  
Kayo-chin´s fingers moved at the speed of light, she didn´t have to use the mouse at all, she wrote hundreds of lines every few seconds, but her opponent was also formidable. Inside the crowd, Nozomi and Eli were watching her code.  
―I can´t believe that´s really her! I mean look, she´s not even shy, despite being surrounded by so many people.  
―Yeah, I guess being an idol helped her with that ―answered Eli, sarcastically.  
―My babyyy! She´s grown up so much! Look at her move her cute fingers, how does she do that? Oh look, she´s beautiful when she´s focusing, her face shines so much.  
―How did she get into coding anyway?  
―She was already good with computers and you know she has some sort of fanatic personality, I heard she joined this underground community on eleventh grade and she was quickly winning stuff. She´s a really smart girl.  
―Yeah, I know that Nozomi, I was also her friend. It´s just… time goes so fast, it´s an instant, like 1, 2… ah!  
―How?  
―1, 2… ah! ―she said raising her hands.  
―Ah!  
―AAAH!  
―Ok, enough, let´s watch Hanayo.  
When the competitors had finished coding both their firewalls and viruses, the fight started, they threw the virus and the firewall would have to try and stop it. Everything seemed like it was going ok, both firewalls working perfectly, but The Code Slayer seemed extremely confident, that was, of course, until he heard Hanayo laughing quietly.  
―What´s so funny?! ―he asked, angrily.  
―Ah? Nothing it´s just that you seem so confident… but you´ve already lost the fight.  
Hanayo´s expression changed abruptly into a rather evil sadistic one.  
―I´m getting scared, Nozomi ―said Eli, hugging her friend.  
―Ssshhh… let´s see what happens.  
The Code Slayer was extremely confused.  
―If you don´t remember the rules, we were supposed to create completely original codes. However, it works like a song in a video, as long as you use the right amount of time of this song you can use it without a copyright, and you thought you could take advantage of that.  
―How do you…  
―So you borrowed one of my code lines, you did your homework and found my research about a so called unbreakable firewall, fifty lines of extra code would make your system unbreakable and no one would notice. Problem is you didn´t read the small letters.  
The guy´s face got all pale suddenly and his hands were shivering.  
―Because the reason why the firewall works so well it´s because it works as a virus itself which must be contained with another code which of course you didn´t write because it was too long. Am I wrong?  
―I… I…  
―And since you didn´t write that code down, it so happens you just… infected yourself.  
Suddenly, a message popped out of the screen.  
“The Code Slayer´s files had been corrupted”.  
―There you have it, folks, the undisputable winner, the true goddess of Underground is KAYO-CHIN!  
The crowd went crazy, even Nozomi and Eli were celebrating.  
―Wait, that´s cheating! ―yelled the guy.  
―You´re dead, slayer. Don´t make this more pleasurable for me than it already is, just go cry to your mom ―she said, moving his face by the cheeks.  
She then stood, victorious, receiving everyone´s praises, until she saw the girls in the crowd. They smiled at each other. And headed out to talk.  
―Wait! Kayo-chin! What about your prize? ―asked the MC.  
―Split it equally and give everyone here a share.  
―WE LOVE YOU KAYO-CHIN ―shouted the crowd.  
―MARRY ME!  
When they had finally left and found a nice place to talk, they sat down.  
―It´s so good to see you girls! ―said Hanayo, hugging them both  
―We´re glad to see you too ―said Eli ―, although I wished it had been under other circumstances.  
―Why? What´s wrong. Wait, what happened to your face, Eli? You look so different… did you make up? No, it´s something else, SURGERY?!  
―Ok, this will be long, so… why don´t we go get something to eat and talk there? ―Nozomi proposed.  
―Oh! I know I place where they have the most delicious rice.  
―Same old Hanayo ―said Eli, laughing ―. Sure, let´s get some rice.  
The girls ate together and Eli and Nozomi explained Hanayo the whole situation, they told her about The Flower Circle, The Thousand Katanas and how they needed her help to break into some servers to get the information they needed to expose the group and probably find Umi.  
―Ok, so let me get this straight, you want me to break into the servers of some sort of cult…  
―Uh-huh.  
―And if I get caught they will chop our heads.  
―Exactly.  
―And also Umi is like a ninja and Eli is a super spy? And what are you Nozomi? A warrior?  
―No I just… write stuff and take pictures.  
Hanayo stared at them.  
―Ok.  
―You´ll help us? ―asked both girls, smiling.  
―Anything to help a friend, let´s bring Umi back.  
It didn´t took her long to break into the servers and The Thousand didn´t even realize about it, you could say she was some sort of computer ninja, moving in the code shadows. Nozomi and Eli looked her working and they didn´t understand anything but they just loved to see her face when she was focused. When they finally got the information they needed, Nozomi got to work and started writing the book which, if wrote and published correctly, would bring this cult to their knees. In about a year of work, the book was finished and now it was Eli´s time for action; she flied back to Russia, carrying the book and showed it to her superior.  
―What is this?  
―Raskalov is dead ―said Eli ―, but this organization, this… cult… they call themselves “The Thousand Katanas” and they are related with everything, the death of our agent and also The Crimson Tide.  
―Interesting. You did an amazing job, Ayase, as always, maybe that´s why it doesn´t surprise me. But I still don´t understand what the book is for.  
―Sir, this organization control the whole country, they hide behind the police and the companies, but if we make this a public international matter by publishing the book, I believe that will force them to do something desperate… and that´s when we´ll strike. We just need for the book to get to a lot of people into the shortest time. That´s why I ask for your help.  
She lent him a usb containing the file with the digital book and he took it.  
―I´ll make sure all this comes out to the light, you go back to Japan and end this. And remember, if you see The Crimson Tide… terminate him…  
―Yes, sir.  
― I´m glad we understand each other. Now, leave. It shouldn´t take me more than a week to get this into number one international trends. Dismissed.  
Eli left and headed to the airport, but when she was about to take the plane to Japan, he received a call from Hanayo.  
―Hanayo, hi! I´m co…  
―Eli! Eli come as fast as you can! ―screamed the girl, desperately.  
―What´s wrong?  
―It´s Nozomi, they… they took her away!  
―Excuse me Miss, you can´t use the phone during the flight… Miss?  
Eli couldn´t move at all, her whole body had gotten stiff, what was she going to do now? Was there anything to do?  
―Eli, are you there? ―asked Hanayo through the phone ―please hurry! Wait… someone is… WAIT NO! LET GO!...  
Someone else picked the phone.  
―Ah, you are the so called Eli that has been giving us so much trouble…  
―Miss, I´m going to have to confiscate your phone.  
―Meet us at the abandoned factory at Saitama before midnight or your friends die. Hurry up, time runs out. Tick… tack… tick… tack… tick… tack…  
―Ok that´s enough! ―said the man, taking the phone away from her.  
Inside Eli´s head there were only calculations.  
―Before midnight ―she thought ―, it will be 23 o´clock when the plain lands, I have less than an hour to get there. Ok, I can do it. Please hold on, Nozomi… Hanayo… I´m coming to save you. And you… I don´t care if your cult has a thousand people or a million, you´re all going to die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was way longer than the ones before it, this is because there were so many things that involved the chapter itself, but I hope you can still enjoy it. I want to know your opinions about this new hacker Hanayo, I found her similar to Chihiro Fujisaki, but she had also changed as a person, maybe because she´s an adult now. By the way, timeline might be a little confusing, but in theory by now it´s been about three years now since the beginning of the book. You´ll have to pardon my time management, I´m not good at that, but some events will give you reference of the date. But anyways, what is most important, WILL ELI BE ABLE TO SAVE HER FRIENDS?! Wait for next chapter to find out!


	6. Shiranai Kill * Oshiete Kill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Umi goes to Numazu to know who his mysterious saviour is, there she finds more secrets about The Flower Circle, she makes new friends and she is taught how to be faster than a bullet (literally)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you´re probably thinking, yes, there is a bit of Aqours in this episode. And what about Nozomi and Hanayo? Well, keep reading, you´ll find out ;)

―The shortest day ―she said to herself, holding a pamphlet ―, that should be today… I just hope all of this isn´t just one big sick joke. No, it can´t be, you saw him there, he´s a professional, I…  
―Excuse me ―interrupted her thoughts a lady with a child ―, could you please move? This is our stop.  
―Ah! Yes, yes, sorry… I´m also getting out here ―said Umi, embarrassed, thinking she now was acting like Honoka ―… so this is it, Numazu. But, where do I start looking.  
―Nowhere, just follow me ―told her a figure behind her, it was the same man, but wearing a casual suit, he seemed kind of careless.  
She didn´t have time to ask questions, instead she just followed him, so they walked…  
And they walked…  
And they walked…  
Umi didn´t want to admit it but she was already tired, her legs felt like jelly, “why didn´t we take a taxi” she thought? “Is this guy messing with me?”  
―On top of the hill ―he said, pointing at a small temple.  
They had walked so much they were no longer in the city, and now they had to climb up a hill? “You gotta be kidding me”  
After six hours of walking from the city to the top of the hill, Umi had had enough, she fell to her knees right in front of the temple entrance.  
―Get up, we´re only getting started ―said the man.  
Umi looked at him, terrified, what had she gotten into? She was already regretting it.  
―Please, come inside ―the man invited her, as if that temple was his house, though that wouldn´t surprise Umi.  
They both entered the temple and inside was a little girl meditating. She turned around.  
―Father! ―exclaimed the girl, with joy and went to hug him quickly.  
―Honey, how many times have I told you to call me before you use the temple?  
―I´m so sorry, zura. It´s just I felt like being in a quite place today.  
―Everything ok? ―asked the man, caressing her hair.  
―Yes! I just wanted to get mentally ready for tomorrow´s presentation, zura! Who´s your friend, father?  
―Nice to meet you ―introduced herself the blue haired girl ―I´m Umi, what´s your name?  
The girl laughed and placed herself in the center of the temple, she extended her arms…  
―I am Hana…  
And then used them to make a circle on top of her head.  
―…maru! You like it? It´s my introduction!  
―It´s so cute! ―said Umi with a smile on her face ―, and so ingenious!  
―Perhaps you like school idols too, zura?  
―Honey ―interrupted the father ―, this woman and I have some important things to talk about, I´m sorry but….  
―Yes, father, no problem, I was going to meet with Ruby anyway. Hey! We have a live tomorrow, want to come see us? It´s something to promote the school and Numazu, we´re going to have flying lights, zura!  
―Flying lights! I won´t miss it! ―said Umi, bowing.  
―Ok then, see you there, zura.  
And she left.  
―She´s an angel ―Umi mentioned.  
―Indeed, which is why I want you to promise me something before we start.  
―What is it?  
―Promise me that, whatever happens, you won´t let her be part of any of this, ever. Can I have your word?  
Umi bowed.  
―You have it.  
The man smiled.  
―Good. Now, I think we haven´t introduced ourselves properly. Eiji Kunikida. And you are Umi Sonoda, right?  
―Yes, I am.  
―Sit with me ―he told her, pointing at the floor.  
She obeyed and sat calmly, while the man left to get something. Meanwhile, Umi took her time to breath and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere, which felt extremely familiar for some reason. She also thought about the young Hanamaru, she couldn´t have more than fifteen years, a very nice girl that reminded her to the young Hanayo. When the man came back, he was holding an unsheathed sword tightly and threw a cut right at Umi´s neck.  
In less than a second, she felt it, the unhearable sound of the sword cutting through the air, the unsensible wind, the unseeable intentions of the man, she felt them all and turned around quickly to find herself about to be cut in half.  
But her reflexes were fast, she crawled back and got back on her feet. However, the man wouldn´t stop there; he threw himself into attack one time and another some time cutting threw Umi´s clothes or hair. She didn´t have any sword or weapon, so all she could do was dash and avoid the attacks. Suddenly, while trying to survive, she experienced something she had never felt before, it was as if she didn´t have to think were to move, but her body would just do it instead, a kind of unconscious dance that made her untouchable, but it didn´t last long, for the man made her hit the ground and she surrendered.  
He thrusted the sword into the ground and lent her his hand.  
―What was that? ―she asked, impressed and lacking breath ―it was like if I knew things without really knowing them.  
―Such thing is called the warrior´s dance ―he explained ―, it´s your first and most important lesson. The warrior becomes one with his body, his soul his mind and his weapon, sometimes even with his companions. You are a good fighter, but this thing ―he said, hitting her forehead with his finger ― keeps you from improving. You think too much.  
Impressed by what she had experienced, Umi knelt.  
―Please teach me, I´ll be your disciple.  
―Farewell, but right now comes time for lesson number two.  
―Which is? ―asked her, getting back up.  
―Helping others. We have to help my daughter and her friends with the festival, so get moving. Come on! Come on! Come on!  
And he started running down the hill.  
―Wait! At least let´s take the bus when we get down…  
They went down the hill and reached somewhere near the beach, where lots of people were crafting lanterns. Out of the blue, came out a cute girl in school uniform, with a megaphone.  
―Everyone! ―she yelled ― Thank you very much for helping, you´re doing an amazing work! Let´s give it our best!  
―Go! Go! A-qo-urs! ―said everyone together.  
―Aqours… ―murmured Umi ― that´s a nice name.  
In the crowd, some really loud voices could be heard.  
―Ruby, come here, zura, there´s someone I want you to meet.  
―Piggy! I don´t like meeting new people I get all red Hanamaru,  
―You´ll like her! And you can show her your introduction.  
―No! Not that please! AWAAA  
Hanamaru dragged a little cute girl out of the crowd, who was all red and shivering.  
―Hello, Umi-san! ―said Hanamaru with a smile ―, I´m glad you came here to help. This is my friend, Ruby, she´s kinda shy, zura.  
―N-Nice to… meet you ―said Ruby, hiding behind Hanamaru ― I am… Ku-Kurosawa… Ru-Ruby!  
―Are you a school idol too? ―Umi asked.  
―Yes! We´re both school idols! ―answered Hanamaru ―along with that girl with the megaphone who is Chika and… oh, here comes Yoshiko.  
―I told you is not Yoshiko! It´s…  
But she couldn´t finish her phrase when she saw Umi.  
―Uwaa who´s this frightening girl?! Are you here to take me to justice?  
―What? ―Umi was confused.  
―She does that kind of stuff, zura.  
―It´s not stuff, Maru-chan ―Yoshiko yelled, hitting her shoulder ― I´m a real fallen angel. I´ll tell you what, I will predict the future… You-senpai and Riko-senpai will come here in five seconds.  
―That´s not predicting the future, you saw them walking this way, and they also waved at us, zura.  
Two girls arrived, one with gray hair and another one with red hair, they said hi to their friends.  
―Girls, this is my new friend, Umi, she came here to see my dad.  
Riko introduced herself very properly and You just used a very long and enthusiastic Yousoro.  
―So, ya like school idols? ―You asked.  
―You! Be more proper, she´s a grown up lady.  
Those words hit Umi hard.  
―School Idols? I don´t know what they are, could you explain me? ―She lied.  
―WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?! ―Someone screamed from behind her ― YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT SCHOOL IDOLS ARE?? THEY´RE SO CUTE AND THEY DANCE AND SING AND THEY BRING JOY TO EVERYONE.  
Umi laughed and blushed, because the energy of the girl reminded her to Honoka.  
―I see… it must be fun to be one.  
―Yup! It´s lots of fun! Right now I´m so thrilled for the event!  
―Chika-chan, you haven´t introduced yourself! ―Riko scolded her.  
―Ah? Oh, yeah… ´sup.  
―´Sup? What you mean ´sup, Chika?  
―Yeah it´s like yo or… wasa… or hello da…  
―Chika-chan ―murmured Riko, clenching her fists.  
The orange haired girl scratched the back of her head with a nervous smile.  
―Well, umm… I think there is some stuff to be done there and… I´d better leave.  
Then se dashed and ran away as fast as she could.  
―As you can see, we have very… particular member ―said Riko ―. But, something about you seems familiar… Do I know you from somewhere?   
Umi got scared all of a sudden, she couldn´t be discovered and she had been a celebrity before after all.  
―Me? Oh, they tell me that all the time, but I´m sure we´ve never met ―she replied nervously.  
―Alright, girls, you´ve met a new friend, now get to work you don´t want to have things left undone for the festival, do you?  
―Aye, aye, sir! ―said You out load ― Full speed ahead!  
The rest of the girls followed her.  
―It was nice to meet you, zura! ―Hanamaru told her with a calm smile.  
They spent the night and next day´s morning crafting more lanterns, something Umi was already good at; in fact, she was so good, she ended up crafting more lanterns than anyone else.  
―Amazing! There are so many! ―Chika said, filled with joy ―thank you so much, Umi-san!  
Umi bowed, very properly.  
―Now, my sister here will give you the signal and then you just throw the lanterns and make a beautiful starry night sky!  
The whole town seemed to be there, they all were nice people and even though they weren´t many, they sure supported Aqours with all their heart. “Perhaps I could live here someday” she thought to herself. I could bring Honoka and…  
―Ok, throw them! ―yelled Chika´s sister.  
Everyone threw the lanterns and they went up to the sky to create a beautiful video of the girls dancing next to them.  
―I miss that so much ―whispered Umi, with a tear in her eye.  
The event finished and the girls went back to their homes. Umi was told to go to the temple and wait for her master there. And so, she climbed the hill again and got to the temple, but fell asleep in the entrance, since she was extremely tired. Next morning, she found herself inside some secret chamber which seemed like a training room. She stretched herself and headed towards Eiji.  
―Before anything, I want to know, all of it.  
He sighed.  
―I guess it´s only fair. Get on the floor and give me one hundred push-ups, I´ll answer a question for each task you complete.  
Umi obeyed and started doing her push-ups.  
―I see Kyousuke taught you well.  
―Discipline has always been important to me, that´s thanks to my parents. ―she affirmed.  
When she finished, her shirt was soaked in sweat.  
―Alright, I delivered, now your turn.  
―What do you want to know?  
―Everything you can tell me about who killed them.  
―If what you want to know is who the thousand are, I will tell you there is darkness for each light in this world. When The Flower Circle was first created, it´s purpose was to defend the emperors, it was something like a small group of elite warriors you only used in special situations. Stronger and faster than samurais, they obeyed to purity, honor, justice… but time rots everything it touches. Eventually the emperors no longer wanted honor, they were moved by grief, and so the circle refused to serve them anymore. Thus, The Thousand Katanas were born, one of the emperors swore vengeance to the circle and created another group of warriors, a thousand of the best samurais in the world, that’s where the name comes from. Ever since that happened, we had been hunted, we hide in the shadows, running, trying to preserve what is left of this tradition. When emperors were gone, the thousand saw a chance to take control of Japan, they now rule everything, from enterprises to the very police forces. Long ago, when your mother gave you birth, Kyousuke renounced to the circle and I, the current leader, accepted his wish and swore to protect them from the thousand. Everything was going so well until some years ago, when they found them.  
There was a dead silence filling the place.

―Anyways ―he continued ―, about the thousand today, their leader is Ichiro Takada, a ruthless old man, knower of all the ancient and new combat secrets. As for the name, they still call themselves The Thousand Katanas, but of course they have more than a thousand members and use more than just katanas, so you might want to watch your back. You´re a good warrior, but it´s not enough; even with what I´m going to teach you, this fight will be your hardest. Is there anything else you want to know?  
―No, not for now.  
―Good, in that case, grab the sword and let´s get started.  
―Wait ―she stopped before grabbing it ― aren´t we training with bokken?  
Eiji laughed and Umi had no other choice but to use the sword, hoping she didn´t get sliced.  
―Ok, but just take it easy, I´m a little- ¡OW! ¡WHAT´S WRONG WITH YOU!  
Eiji had cut the skin of her left arm.  
―Oh don´t be whining, it´s just superficial, see? ―he said cutting on the other arm.  
―Stop it!  
―I know you can take more pain than that ―he continued, cutting now through her leg, the blood spreading in the floor ―stop thinking and just fight.  
―Fine… ―she sighed, angrily ―, you want to fight? Let´s fight!  
Next attack she blocked with strength and threw herself aiming to his head, but in less than a second he had grabbed her by the hand and smashed her again the wall.  
―Fuck, that hurts… ―she murmured, rubbing her back and getting back up.  
―You´re fast, but not fast enough ―he said, lending her a hand, which she refused.  
―How fast do you want me to be?! You want me to dodge fucking bullets!?  
Silence spoke for itself.  
―No… you´re mad, that can´t be done. How?  
―Just… get good at it.  
―For the love of god ―she sighed ―, fine, let´s do it again.  
***  
Sometime had been since she started her training and while learning to “get good at it”, she had seen Hanamaru and the girls multiple times, now there were actually nine of them, but as time passed in her training it seemed like the oldest girls were graduating from high school. “That´s hard” she thought, remembering that time when they all cried near the station… “but I think they´re taking it easier”. She had also talked a lot with Hanamaru, mostly about traditional books, and they were now very good friends, meeting every two weeks´ Sunday, when they rested from training. The more she knew her, the more she understood the relevance of that promise she made to Eiji. Making such a sweet girl enter such a violent world would be worse than sinning, which is why, when she got back home, she would put an end to the thousand, so that her and everyone else could live in a better world.  
―It´s time for another lesson ―Eiji told her ― stay still.  
He blindfolded her and gave her a sword.  
―Remember that warrior dance we talked about before.  
―How could I forget? ―she said with a smile.  
―Well, this is similar, just… try to feel it.  
―Feel it? Wait… feel what?  
In front of her there was a tennis ball throwing machine, ready to attack her. Eiji turned it on.  
―Ok, first attempt, and…  
―OW!  
―Ok, ok, try to focus, and…  
―OW! You piece of… I mean, sorry.  
―No problem, let´s try again.  
―Wait, wait, OW!  
―Just breath, feel the ball coming to you, don´t think of the ball just feel it, ok?  
She breathed and relaxed.  
―Bring it on.  
―Ok… here it comes.  
The ball came and this time she was able to slice it in half.  
―I DID IT! ―she screamed cheerfully.  
―It´s not over yet! ―he warned her, throwing now two balls.  
But she sliced through both of them.  
―Fuck yeah, can´t stop me now, bitches! C´mon, that´s all you got?  
Eiji threw more balls faster and faster until they reached full speed, but Umi cut through them without much effort. Trying to make the challenge harder, he attacked Umi with his sword and no previous warning, but she was able to feel the wind like in that time before and quickly blocked him.  
―Where am I? ―he asked her, moving in circles ― eyes blind you, close them and you will see everything!  
He attacked from behind and Umi blocked him again, using his voice as guide.  
―You feel the floor moving? The heat coming from that person, the vibrations, the disruption in the air, everything is useful to keep you alive.  
He was ready to attack again but Umi went one step forward and cut through one of his arms. He kicked her sword out of her hand.  
―No weapons, come on.  
They fought as fast and hard as they could, but none of them was able to strike the other, they just kept blocking and dashing, then Eiji stepped aside and took a gun out of his pants, quickly aiming at the girl, he shot but Umi quickly evaded.  
―You feel it, right? ―he said with a smile as he kept shooting ―, you smell the powder, you hear the steel, you feel my finger reaching for the trigger, you hear the chamber moving, everything is just so slow, not even bullets catch you.  
She got closer and closer until she grabbed his gun and dismantled it to throw it to the ground and grab his neck. She released him and they both fell to the floor, exhausted.  
―I hadn´t had a fight like this in years ―confessed Eiji.  
―You said no weapons ―she told, breathing heavily.  
―Well, not like that had been a problem.  
They both laughed and Eiji´s phone started beeping. When he went to see what was going on, his expression changed.  
―You have to leave ―he said.  
―Why? What´s going on?  
―It´s your friends, they´re in danger. They keep him in an abandoned factory in Saitama, here ―he explained, showing her the phone.   
―How do you know that? Wait, no… you tell me later, if it´s true and this is the thousand´s fault, they won´t last long. Until we see again ―she said, getting back up and bowing ―, thank you for everything.  
―No, thank you. Now go, friends are family.  
―I know ―she answered with a smile and left in a hurry.  
***  
Nozomi was tied to a chair, next to Hanayo.  
―Screw you! ―she yelled at one of the thugs, spitting on his face.  
This man seemed rather crazy than anything else, the kind of man who is not very strong or smart but he might come up with some insanity and he doesn´t have any limits, which makes him frightening. He was holding a gun in his right hand and her left hand seemed to miss one finger.  
―What were you, Yakuza? ―Nozomi said ― piece of shit.  
―Someone please shut her up! Wait no, we need her to talk… oh, I have an idea.  
He shot at Nozomi´s knee with a smile.  
―AAAH! FUCK YOU! I ain´t telling you shit.  
―I see, you´re one of those ―said the man, caressing his gun ―, then I guess we´re gonna have to try something more… drastic.  
He took his gun and aimed at Hanayo, who was crying in silence.  
―WAIT! NO, PLEASE NO!  
―Oh, now you want to talk, you know, the thing is that I feel like shooting her, just one little shot, would you let me? Maybe in the feet, or make it go through her hand…  
―I´ll tell you everything, please, don´t…  
―Yes, darling, I know you will tell us everything, after I´m done with her.  
He grabbed Hanayo´s hair and made the gun go into her mouth.  
―Ok, I´ve decided, I´ll start with this beautiful cute cheeks.  
Hanayo was screaming along with Nozomi, imploring mercy and the mad man was about to shoot, when one of the thugs interrupted him.  
―Now what the fuck do you want?! Can´t you see I´m doing some torture here?  
―It´s an emergency, sir.  
―What could be so important?  
―Well… hear it for yourself ―the thug gave him the radio and ran away, there was a voice asking for help.  
―They´re killing us all! Boss!  
―What you mean they´re killing you? Who?  
―I DON´T KNOW, SOME KIND OF GHOST, HE´S TOO FAST, I…  
The transmission ended with a pain scream and the lights went out.  
One by one, the thugs were falling dead to the floor, and nothing could be seen or heard.  
―Over there! ―one of them screamed, pointing at a corner and everyone shot in that direction.  
But she was already behind them.  
Blood was raining in the building, as she cut through each of their bodies from behind, and before he could realize, the mad man was all by himself.  
―Don´t give another step! ―he warned her, desperately, pointing the gun at the shadow.  
She gave another step.  
―I´m serious, I´m going to shoot!  
But she gave another menacing step.  
―As you wish, asshole! ―he yelled, shooting all the round.  
But the shadow was still moving forward, she attacked and threw him to the ground.  
―WHO ARE YOU?! ―he asked, in fear.  
―Look around you and tell me ―she answered, calmly.  
―No… NO! IMPOSSIBLE! I THOUGHT THE CRIMSON TIDE WAS DEAD!  
―Not dead, just… on a little vacation ―she said, ready to thrust the sword into him.  
―Wait! I can help you, I know about everything, I…  
But Umi thrusted the sword inside his mouth down to the floor, killing him instantly. She sighed, tiredly and sat down.  
―Umi-chan? ―asked Nozomi, still tied up.  
―Oh god! I´m so sorry, I forgot to untie you! What did they do to you?  
―I´ll be fine ―she said with a smile, trying to stand with effort ―, just a little bullet and Hanayo is save.  
Seeing they were both alright, Umi proceeded to slap Nozomi.  
―I told you to stay away from this!  
Nozomi slapped back.  
―I won´t! None of us.  
―We won´t ―confirmed Hanayo, also standing ―, never, so you´ll have to find a better way to get rid of us or just join us.  
Umi dropped the sword and hugged them with watered eyes.  
―You´re the most stupid girls I´ve ever met ―she whispered, holding their heads.  
In that moment, someone arrived and Umi grabbed his sword, but it was no enemy.  
―Eli? ―asked Umi, confused.  
The Russian girl smiled.  
―Seems like I was a bit too late, you stole all the fun.  
Umi started laughing, and the girls imitated her, not knowing why.  
―You all have to tell me what has been going on.  
―Oh, it´s going to be a long story ―said Hanayo ―… you know, there´s this place where they sell the most delicious…  
―Rice you´ve ever eaten? ―Umi completed the phrase ―Sure, let´s go. It´s nice to see you again.  
―Before that ―Eli stopped her ― I assume you have a plan to end with the thousand…  
Umi smiled and kept walking.  
―Indeed, I have, but we need a bigger team.  
―Who did you have on mind?  
―Well, since it´s already us four… let us reunite the old team, shall we?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This episode was one of my favorites to write, now Umi is even more badass than before and the team is about to get bigger! Next chapter: Onaji Hoshi ga Mitai


	7. Onaji Hoshi ga Mitai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In order to defeat The Thousand, Umi and the others must gather new team members and they decide to join the old school idol gang for the job. While Eli and Nozomi look for the other girls, Umi has a special individual in mind... Rin Hoshizora.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: If you don´t like awesomeness, don´t read this B)  
> As always, but in case you didn´t know:  
> 1.- There might be some mistakes, I´ll try to correct them soon.  
> 2.- If you find this *** it means a division inside the chapter, just so you don´t get confused.

A young beautiful girl was preparing to give it her best in the race, her dream had finally come true, she would represent her country in the Olympics and win that gold medal. Giving a final stretch to her legs, she waited for the mark and then ran as fast as she could. In her mind lied conviction and hunger for victory, the idea of how famous she would be after winning, nothing would stop her know.  
―And Japan wins today´s one hundred meters women´s sprint with Yumiko Takahashi ―announced the commentator ― She is favorite in the leaderboards and everyone expect her to win the gold medal for this section  
Rin was just finishing her tenth drink.  
―Could you change the channel, please? ―she asked the bartender.  
―Hell no! We want to watch the Olympics ―yelled a man behind her.  
―Fuck the Olympics! Fuck you! Give me another drink, Adam.  
The bartender sighed while cleaning some glasses.  
―Rin, you´ve been here for a whole week you´re starting to scare the clients, besides my name is not Adam, is Leon. I ain´t gonna serve you anything.  
Rin started crying violently.  
―You see that bitch over there smiling? That should be me, Leon! I should be there breaking a world record but instead I have this bullshit ―she said, showing everyone her broken leg ― and I have to walk home on crutches… FUCKING CRUTCHES! And it´s all her fault.  
―I know, Rin, I know, you tell me that story every few hours. But there is no way you can prove it.  
―Yeah ―agreed the man behind ― and it´s not like you could run any faster than her before, look at you!  
Rin held her glass tightly until it almost shattered.  
―You´re just a loser blaming others for your lack of strength.  
She couldn´t take it anymore, she turned around and smashed the glass right into the guy´s face, but she was too drunk to do something else, so when the guy strike back, she couldn´t defend. In the end, she fell to the ground, and she was dragged out of the bar, left to soak on the rainy night, coughing from both a cold and something that was broken inside her.  
―Don´t come here ever again! ―the bartender warned her.  
―Fuck y-  
But she couldn´t finish insulting him when she got a kick to the head and went dizzy. The water was entering her nose and her blood spread and dissolved in the street, where she was no one. In that moment, when she thought things couldn´t get worse, the man she had fought with came out with her crutches.  
―I think you forgot these ―he said, but instead of giving them to her, he broke and threw them to the street, laughing.  
Rin´s tears camouflaged with the rain drops, running through her face, the cold was too much to bear and she couldn´t stand. Trying to do something, she dragged herself into an alley where she lost all her strength and could just sigh. She then heard a song.  
―Is that… a cat?  
It was indeed a black cat, meowing and moving his tale, getting closer. As much as Rin loved cats, she had to stay away from them, but she couldn´t move.  
―Stay away, kitty… no… don´t do that, no! Stop, please.  
The cat was rubbing against Rin´s face and she suddenly felt an insane pain.  
―I´m going to die ―she whispered, before starting convulsing.  
When she finally opened her eyes, she found herself in a hospital bed, with someone next to her, reading a book, though she couldn´t quite tell who she was.  
―Hello…? ―she said with the few strengths she had.  
The woman closed her book and came closer, she started caressing her.  
―You´re awake.  
Rin couldn´t see her quite well but she recognized the voice and the silhouette.  
―U-Umi-chan… what are you…  
Rin started coughing and Umi took her hand.  
―Sshh… you´re very sick, you need to get some rest. We will talk later.  
―It´s good to see you ―she said with a weak smile.  
A nurse came inside.  
―Excuse me, visits time is over.  
―Sure. I´m leaving.  
Umi left and Rin was left alone with the nurse, who took care of her.  
―You´re very pretty ―she said to the nurse, who blushed a little ―… I´m sorry, I tend to be stupid when I feel tired.  
―What happened to you? If that girl had found you just one minute later, you would be dead.  
―She found me? ―Rin asked, sighing.  
―Yeah, and brought you here, she said it was an anaphylactic reaction, so that saved the doctors some time. Is she your friend.  
Rin looked up to the floor.  
―My best friend.  
―How did this happen to you? You had your ribs broken and it seemed like you had broken a leg before.  
―That was her fault ―she answered.  
―Whose?  
―Yumiko… that bitch… she said she wanted to train with me alone but she just wanted to get rid of me. In the end, no one believed me and even if they did I´m worth nothing now with this. Now I´m never gonna get to the Olympics.  
―Well, there´s always other things you can do ―she proposed ― I wanted to be a dancer.  
―Really?  
―Yes ―she continued, melancholically ―, but I have a heart condition… can´t do sports. Anyway, I figured out I liked helping people feel better and see their smiles.  
―Is mine good? ―Rin asked, trying to smile.  
The girl laughed, a little blush still.  
―It´s beautiful. Rest now, the doctors will examine you later, perhaps you can have a second opinion on that leg of yours.  
But it was just what Rin expected to be when it happened.  
―I´m sorry ―told her the doctor ―, but you´re not going to be able to run again. Just walking without crutches will take you a lot of rehab. I…  
―Don´t say anything ―said Rin, trying to hold her tears ―. Please don´t.  
―Other than that, you are now fine… or… as fine as you can be, please try to attend rehab sessions as currently as you can, we will provide you with a wheelchair and you can leave now. There is someone waiting for you outside.  
“For me… outside?”, she asked to herself. When she left the hospital, she found Umi near a car.  
―Get in ―she said, smiling.  
But Rin couldn´t do it. She refused and turned around.  
―Wait! Let me help yo-  
―I don´t want your help! I don´t want… you´re just too kind to me. You know why I ended like this? I had a fight in a bar! That´s right, I fight, I drink, I´m a piece of shit ―she explained, crying.  
Umi sighed.  
―Fine… we won´t use the car ―she said, grabbing the wheelchair and walking.  
―Wait, no! I told you I…  
―Well, the way I see it, as long as you need this to move, you don´t get to have a choice in this.  
Rin gave up and crossed her arms.  
―Whatever, nya… where are you taking me?  
―Somewhere safe.  
Umi took Rin to her family dojo and gave her something to eat.  
―Seriously? Your dojo? What are you planning to do, Umi?  
―Listen to me, you want to run again?  
―Sure, I do but…  
―Then I will make you run again.  
Rin looked at her and laughed out loud.  
―I… I´m sorry but… since when do you have magic powers? I´m fucking done, ok?  
Umi slapped her.  
―Yeah, keep slapping people, like you always do ―Rin said.  
―Stop being such a bitch! Listen, I know you have problems, but guess what? We all have, you´re not the only one he who lost something, just so you know.  
Rin sighed, gazing down.  
―I´m sorry…  
―When life turns its back to you, worst thing you can do is give up?  
―And what can I do? You heard the doctors, I´m not going to run again.  
Umi smiled.  
―I´ll make you a deal. A promise I´ll not only make you run again, but I´ll make you even faster than before. If I can do that, you join a little team I´m gathering.  
―What kind of team, nya?  
―Well, that´s a surprise, my little cat.  
―I hate that I can´t hate cats… alright, let´s do it.  
Umi nodded and then threw her out of the wheelchair.  
―Hey, what the fuck Umi-chan?!  
―There are two ways of learning ―she explained while giving slight kicks to Rin ― one is a long methodic way of constant repetition of techniques, it is effective but it is long… the other way is the crisis, you force the person to give the best of herself by putting her in the worst situations possible. Considering we don´t have much time, I´d rather use the second one. One of your legs works well, right? Stand up in it.  
Rin stood up in his left knee.  
―Good, now go buy me a drink.  
―What? Like this?  
Umi gave her the look.  
―Ok, ok, I´m going… ―she said while giving little jumps forward, then she whispered ―fuck me…  
First part of the training was to strengthen Rin´s healthy knee as much as possible, then they could focus on bringing the other leg back. They did walking, squats, rope jumping and other exercises, until Rin could do almost everything with just one leg,  
―Ok, it´s cool to do things with just one leg, but when are we focusing in my other leg? I mean, I need two to run, in case you didn´t know…  
Umi stood up and walked to the dojo´s exit.  
―Wait, where are you going??  
―Follow me.  
―Oh c´mon, nya! God dammit  
Rin followed Umi, who walked as if she was alone, they went all the way to a park in the city´s border, where they both sat down.  
―Close you eyes ―Umi ordered her and she obeyed ―, what do you feel?  
―… Nothing.  
―Try harder, breath calmly…  
―Ok… I feel… the sun… it´s warm in my face.  
―What else? You hear anything.  
―Apart from you annoying voice, nya? Yeah, there are some kids playing nearby… I hear some leaves rustling… the water?  
―Awesome job, now focus a little more, try to hear your heartbeat.  
They both stood silent for what could have been a minute or an hour, it didn´t matter.  
―I feel it! ―she said ― I hear my hear my heartbeat.  
―Good, now try to feel other stuff, can you feel your fingers? Don´t move them, just picture them in your mind and feel them.  
They did the same for all of her body parts, until it was time for her leg.  
―Ok, now feel your leg, don´t try to move it, just feel it.  
It took Rin more effort but she could do it.  
―But… even if I feel it… it doesn´t change the fact that I can´t move it.  
―Shh… keep feeling your leg… now go to the other leg but don´t forget this one…  
―Sounds like a lot of work, nya.  
―Just shut up and do it.  
Rin tried and she was able to feel both legs together.  
―You notice how the energy increases?  
―I don´t know what that means, but I do notice a change.  
―Good, now let´s add more things.  
They kept adding parts of her body until Rin was able to feel her whole self at the same time, her legs, arms, eyes, nose, feet, lips, with the same attention to everything. Umi encouraged her to not lose focus.  
―You´re doing it great, now… remember you told me how you heard the water, the rustling leaves and the kids? Try to feel them too, everything around you.  
―But… all those things are outside of me, I can´t feel them like my own.  
Umi laughed quietly.  
―That is a common misbelief… but the sooner you try the sooner you´ll know the truth.  
Rin gave it her best and she finally let out a big smile.  
―I feel them! I don´t know how, but I feel them. Is as if the water, the air, everything is part of my body! ―she mentioned, excited.  
―Don´t lose focus. Now I want you to get up in both legs and walk to the tree in front of you. You don´t have to open your eyes, you know where the tree is.  
―But…  
―Do it.  
Rin tried to stand up and suddenly she found herself walking to the tree, slowly, but firmly, using both legs, as if nothing had ever happened. When she got to the tree, she opened her eyes, and fell down, crying.  
―I did it! ―she screamed, swollen her face by the tears.  
Umi hugged her tightly.  
―When they take something from you… you have to work harder than everyone else. To be able to run means you´ll have to master this technique and use it all the time, otherwise you will lose control again. Your life will be a constant fight. But, because of that, you will become stronger, more capable, because you have to do more than the rest you will also be more capable.  
―I don´t care how much effort I have to put into it! You know, at first I thought you were crazy, but now I´m really in for this shit, nya!  
―Ok, then… the real training begins now.  
***  
A few moths had passed since Rin was able to walk again and ever since then she had improved a long way; now, when totally focused, she could use both legs to run, jump, dash and kick. Now, Umi was teaching her balance by making her do some sort or choreography (the way Rin called it) over a wooden stick suspended in air. Multiple times, Rin fell in very painful ways, but this time she wouldn´t lose.  
―Ok, now back… now forward again… kick! Turn around… on your tip toes… just some more and…  
―Nyailed it! Can you do that Yumiko? Of course not.  
―Congratulations ―said Umi, clapping with a smile ―, here, sit down, let me just go get something.  
Umi was planning to do the same thing her master did when they first met, so she took a bokken and attacked her from behind. But Rin didn´t move a bit.  
―HEY! WHAT´S WRONG WITH YOU THAT HURTS!  
―I´m so sorry! ―Umi apologized, dropping the wooden sword and rubbing Rin´s wound.  
―Why did you do that?!  
―I thought you were going to move!  
―Like hell I´m gonna move I couldn´t even see you!  
Umi sighed, disappointed.  
―Looks like we´re gonna have to walk the long way ―she whispered to herself.  
Umi tried, but when she tried to think of what were the conditions needed for “the dance” to be given, she couldn´t come up with any, it seemed as something that just came natural when the time was right. “If only Eiji was here”, she thought.  
One day, while they were having a rest, Umi found Rin dancing in the guests room. However, it wasn´t just any dance, for she seemed to have extreme coordination and balance.  
―What are you dancing? ―Umi asked.  
Rin fell down with a big loud nya.  
―Don´t just come out of the blue like that! You almost gave me a heart attack, nya… Oh, this? I don´t know, I was just improvising.  
Umi´s eyes were shining and she had a big smile.  
―Follow me.  
Rin followed Umi to the dojo. Once in there, Umi took her phone out and played a song.  
―What is this nya? Hey, I know that song ―she said, moving her head.  
When Rin had gotten the song´s rhythm, Umi took a wooden sword and attacked her without warning. But Rin was able to avoid the attack. She attacked again and Rin dashed.  
―I don´t even know what I´m doing! ―said Rin, confused but excited at the same time.  
―Exactly.  
Umi kept attacking, but everything just seemed to go so slow for Rin, until the thrilling itself made her lose focus and she was brought down. Umi lent her a hand.  
―What does that mean, nya?  
―It means… we got it. You´re ready.  
―Really? ―Yeah, sort of… I mean, as ready as you can be now. I´ll cover my part of the deal, come with me.  
Umi took Rin to her college, where she found Yumiko, the other girls and the coach, training. She was about to lose her strives, but Umi told her to calm down.  
―Rin… what are you doing here? ―the coach asked.  
Rin didn´t answer, instead, Umi approached.  
―She wants to race, take her time.  
―But…  
―Take… her… time.  
The coach sighed.  
―As you wish. Get in the starting line, girls.  
Yumiko smiled confidently and approached Rin.  
―You don´t have to embarrass yourself more, you know.  
―Shut up and get in position.  
―Ok, on my mark ―the coach said ― three… two… one…  
Rin breathed, like before, she could feel everything, the blood pumping through her veins, her muscles making tension, the air coming through her nostrils, her fingers in the dirt. The gunshot came and she ran as fast as she could, as one with the racing track. When she got to the finish line, the coach dropped the chronometer, perplexed.  
―It´s… it´s impossible ―she said before passing out.  
Sarah, Lisa and Alice gathered near Rin.  
―Congratulation Rin! It´s good to have you back!  
―Thank you all, girls!  
―We´re sorry we never visited you but you completely disappeared.  
Then, Yumiko screamed with rage.  
―HOW? AFTER WHAT…  
―What you did? Yeah, and I´m here now, standing. Whatever, you got what you wanted, your gold medal.  
The three other girls looked at Yumiko, concerned.  
―What did you do? ―they asked.  
―I… I…  
She fell into despair and left crying. They didn´t see her again.  
Rin then turned back to Umi and bowed.  
―Thank you, master.  
Umi blushed and her friend laughed.  
―Now ―she continued ―, I will keep my part of the deal… what is this team you were talking about?  
***  
―Rin-chan! ―Hanayo hugged her with all her strengths when she saw her come in.  
―Kayo-chin! It´s been a long time! How are you? Wait, you´re part of this too? And Eli… Nozomi?  
―Hey there, Rin-chan.  
Eli headed towards Umi.  
―We didn´t want to be useless so we used out time to gather some other members.  
Someone approached Umi from the back trying to attack her. So she turned around and kicked him in the face, but it turned out to be Kotori.  
―Umi-chan… ―she said, falling to the floor in pain.  
―We knew you wanted Honoka out of this and we couldn´t find Maki or Nico, so it´s just us, Kotori has some… let´s just say remarkable skills, she will be wonderful for the team Oh, and we met with a family who would be more than happy to contribute to our cause, in secret, of course. It´s a very wealthy woman who just took possession of her family business ―Eli explained.  
―When can we meet her?  
―She´s… already here ―Eli pointed at the door, from where a blond charming young woman came in.  
―Hello everybody! ―she yelled cheerfully.  
―She´s a little extravagant, but we´re all used to that, aren´t we ―Eli whispered into Umi´s ear.  
―I think we can do business together ―continued the blonde woman ―, my family always had trouble with the thousand, but things are getting harder these days. Before, we couldn´t do anything, but now… with you… we will kick their asses! Oh, sorry, we haven´t introduced. I am Ohara Mari, owner of the Ohara family enterprises. Shiny!!  
Umi smiled and then bowed.  
―We´ll be glad to have you in the team.  
―So, this thing is on?  
―Oh… you´re damn right is on!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who are sad for Honoka´s exclusion, don´t worry, next episode "Shocking Party" will be about her (and some other girls if you know what I mean...)


End file.
